Listen to Mayors: How to Talk About Police Reform

“Yes, I’m a big believer in police reform, but I also believe in public safety. You can have reform and safety together. You can’t have a one-sided conversation.”¹ – NYC Mayor Eric Adams

“All of these officers are going to be trained in a 21^st century policing model… get officers out of their cars, to make them interact with the community members, and to make sure that these officers can actually live in the community they serve.”² – Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens

“Effective police officers. Better police officers. What we want to see are police officers that are out of the cars building community trust.”³– Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

In the wake of social justice protests stemming from the murders of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and other Black men and women at the hands of police, many Democratic leaders mobilized to support reforms that would address the problems of persistent instances of police abuse, while maintaining public safety.  However, some within the pro-reform movement pushed radical ideas, such as “Defund the Police,” that were seized upon by right-wing media. As a result, the Democratic Party became mischaracterized as being pro-crime and anti-police. On top of that, as murder rates were rising in much of urban and rural America, a handful of municipalities experimented with defund-like ballot initiatives, thus reinforcing this charge. While these attacks could not be farther from reality, they continue to reverberate throughout the most mainstream outlets of media—not to mention, of course, Fox News. 

These Republican assaults were not just confined to the right-wing news echo chamber, as they proved to have real political consequences for swing-district Democrats in the 2020 House races. Several candidates lost their elections after being bombarded by falsehood allegations aligning them with the most far-left viewpoints. The response to many of these attacks was not met with the fervor with which they were deployed, and mainstream candidates paid the ultimate price for not aggressively defending their positions.

Policy issues surrounding police reform and public safety are complicated. Voters want practical solutions that will bring about real change to ensure every person in their community is protected and treated fairly. They want policies and messages of reform that blend modern ideas with traditional methods to protect the communities most impacted by spikes in crime. In order to be successful, Democrats must take a balanced approach to reimagining policing and communicate that vision effectively to voters.

Thankfully, we already have a roadmap for how to do just that. Several candidates were able to successfully craft campaigns emphasizing the desperate need for police reform in their communities while also expressing support for their police departments and commitment to keeping their constituents safe. These messages balanced law enforcement needs with public safety, offered innovative alternatives to policing where law enforcement has been asked to stretch beyond their typical role, and supported community policing efforts that have already shown promise across the country. Their strategies provide a blueprint for candidates in the 2022 midterm elections—who will undoubtedly be attacked by the right around these issues. Here are the candidates that paved the way for successfully navigating police reform in tough elections.

Eric Adams – NYC

Former New York’s Finest vows to revitalize the Big Apple.

In what may have been the most-watched mayoral race of 2021, Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer and current Brooklyn Borough President, won with a majority of the votes in NYC’s Democratic primary. Although his competitors—including former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and lawyer/activist Maya Wiley—enjoyed name recognition in the national political sphere, Adams used his ties as a native New Yorker to connect with concerned voters.

Adams’ public safety plans set him apart from his more left-leaning opponents, like Wiley and former NYC school teacher Dianne Morales, who largely supported reducing police budgets or diverting those funds to other departments.⁴ He earned 50.4% of the primary vote, narrowly defeating New York State Director of Operations Katheryn Garcia, and solidifying a general election win in the heavily Democratic city.⁵ Garcia and Adams often shared similar views on public safety, both denouncing “Defund the Police” efforts and promoting community policing initiatives.⁶ In the end, it appears New Yorkers regarded Adams as best suited to tackle the gravity of police reform, having spent most of his career within the nation’s largest police department.

Adams served over 22 years with the NYPD, rising to the post as captain. He has deep ties to his community and was endorsed by many activists and leaders, including victims of police brutality. And Adams himself attested to being a victim of abuse at the hands of police, which he credited as a catalyst for his commitment to public service. He repeatedly denounced defunding the police and instead encouraged better policing through joint department and community partnerships, stating:

“Yes, I’m a big believer in police reform, but I also believe in public safety. You can have reform and safety together. You can’t have a one-sided conversation.”⁷

His focus on improved policing efforts was coupled with the need to ensure those initiatives have the proper funding.

“Precision policing, but also precision resources.”⁸

Adam’s vision for police reform was a reimagining of the current system.

“We’re going to change the ecosystem of public safety. It’s not just police, its mental health professionals, youth organizations, clergy leaders, crisis management teams. We have to redefine policing and what it means in our country and in our city.”⁹

Andre Dickens – Atlanta

Atlanta’s native son promises community over conflict.

After a tumultuous year of social unrest in the national spotlight, particularly following the death of Rayshard Brooks by a police officer, Atlanta mayor Keshia Lance Bottoms announced she would not seek re-election. That opened the field to over a dozen candidates vying to lead the densely minority-populated city. Among them was Andre Dickens, an Atlanta native and city councilman, who came in a far second place in that crowded field behind city council president Felicia Moore in the November general election. Since no candidate was able to secure 50% of the vote, the top two contenders headed into a runoff election. Dickens transformed his nearly 20-point deficit to Moore in the general election to a 30-point victory in the runoff, solidifying him as the city’s next mayor.¹⁰

Both Dickens and Moore supported hiring more officers while embracing alternatives to policing, however, it was Dickens compassion for community that resonated well with voters. Dickens employed his ties as an Atlanta native, and his business acumen as CEO of a technology non-profit, to gain the voters trust on combating the rising crime and homicide rates in Atlanta. He did not shy away from the tough issues and addressed the Atlanta Police Department’s declining personnel and morale head on.

“We’re going to surge to be able to hire 250 police officers to fill these vacancies we have in the first year, and then we’re going to get to 400 officers by the second year. But all of these officers are going to be trained in a 21^st century policing model, to deescalate crimes, to be able to have these individuals trained in racial sensitivity, and to be able to have them be able to do conflict resolution.”¹¹

Dickens emphasized a commitment centered around community policing efforts, that integrate law enforcement with the citizens they are tasked to protect. He pledged to:

“Empower Atlanta police department to do community-based policing. To have a presence at our gas stations, our bars, and our shopping centers. And this is to get officers out of their cars, to make them interact with the community members, and to make sure that these officers can actually live in the community they serve. Only 18% of our police officers live in the city. This is important for us to make sure we incentivize them, correctly, to live in the city so they have more of a connection to the citizenship.”¹²

Dickens was also able to successfully rebut his opponent’s claim that he supported the defund movement by redirecting the conversation to address the actual concerns voters have surrounding public safety.  

“What’s she’s referring to is in 2020 we looked at how we can change the standard operating procedures and also the training of police officers, coming after George Floyd’s death and a number of other unarmed people. We think that there’s a possibility for us to have a non-emergency response system that responds to homelessness, mental health challenges, things police have long told us they didn’t have the skill set or the time to respond to. We want officers responding to violent crime like rape, and burglaries, and murder, while not having to deal with a lot of issues that we can have other specialists that can get people the care they need. Hardly a defunder, someone who really cares about our police and our citizens of Atlanta.”¹³

Bruce Harrell – Seattle

Super Blue Seattle champions progressive pragmatism.

Following the murder of George Floyd, protestors established an autonomous zone in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and demanded a 50% cut of the Seattle Police Department’s budget. While tensions in the Emerald City have somewhat relaxed since 2020, police reform continues to be a passionately-debated topic, as shown in the November mayoral election. The contest resulted in a match between current city councilwoman M. Lorena González and former city council president Bruce Harrell. Harrell was victorious in the general election, winning by over 20 points.¹⁴

González was consistently criticized along the campaign trail for her 2020 pledge to divert half of the police department’s budget to other programs.¹⁵ While later walking back those comments, she stood firm on her push for more drastic overhauls to police operations than those offered by her opponent. Harrell’s innovative proposals focused on increases to the police force coupled with alternative public safety measures, in contrast to the significant reduction in resources proposed by González.

“More police are one of the solutions, but not just police officers as we think traditionally. Effective police officers. Better police officers. What we want to see are police officers that are out of the cars building community trust.”¹⁶

Harrell also reached out to those seeking the most dramatic reforms, calling for collaborative efforts to bring about the change needed in the community.

“I would say to the abolitionist or the de-funders, that we need to drive the outcomes, and invest in the outcomes we want, and what we want are culturally competent, deescalating officers who take their oath of office in such a way that they will protect all communities. And this is a unifying effort in the city. Whether you’re black or white, or yellow, brown, or red, or any combination thereof. Rich or poor, or somewhere in between, we want safety in our neighborhoods. We want our babies safe. We want our elders safe. We want to feel safe. This is not a divisive conversation.”¹⁷

Shontel Brown – Ohio’s 11^th Congressional District

Special election brings energy and enthusiasm to Cuyahoga County.

What works for mayors also works for congressional candidates. When President Biden tapped Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, questions quickly began circulating about who would be her successor representing the largely Black and strongly Democratic district, which includes Cleveland and Akron. The district had been represented by a Black woman since 1999 and plays a major influence in Ohio’s versatility as a swing state. Two Black women emerged as the frontrunners to fill Fudge’s vacant seat: former Ohio state senator Nina Turner, and Cuyahoga County councilwoman and chair of the county’s Democratic party Shontel Brown. Victory in the tightly contested Democratic primary, in which Turner was endorsed by her former boss and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, was handed to Brown who earned just over 50% of the vote. She went on to defeat her Republican challenger by over 50 points.¹⁸

Unlike her primary opponent, Brown navigated the nuances of policing with strong conviction.

“I am one that has never supported defunding the police, but really one that has promoted cultural competency, racial implicit biased training.”¹⁹

One of her most salient messages highlights the needs for reform on a national level, as well as in local communities.

“When we think about standardizing these things, its critical to make sure that we’re all operating from the same playbook. What’s excessive force in Ohio should be excessive force in New York. And to create some uniformity would certainly put us in a position to better de-escalate.”²⁰

In addition to broad reform initiatives, Brown brought clear solutions to the conversation, focusing on programs that would balance public safety with law enforcement duties.

“One of the things that I’ve been a huge proponent of is introducing a 4^th option when we call 911. That is the subject of the CAHOOTS legislation. CAHOOTS is crisis assistance helping out on the streets, and that deals with those who we know are suffering from mental health issues who do not need to be approached by an officer that would only escalate issues, but need to be handled by someone who has crisis intervention skills sets.”²¹

Conclusion

When it comes to police reform, follow the mayors. The winning strategy has proven to be emphasizing progress over pandering and solutions over slogans. Pro-reform candidates must embrace comprehensive improvements to public safety while supporting law enforcement and holding them accountable. This delicate balance can assuredly be achieved by listening to citizens, applying creative thinking, and valuing those professionals committed to protecting their community. We can get this right, with these winning candidates leading the way.